Eclectic Styles and Improvisation in String Orchestra Performances

Abstract

Despite instructional materials and workshops concerning eclectic styles and improvisation, it is unclear whether string teachers feature these styles and student improvisations on concerts in school and adjudicated settings. This and other issues related to eclectic styles were investigated through a newly developed pilot survey instrument sent to the membership of American String Teachers Association. In total, 40.3% of 673 responses from school and studio teachers indicated that students improvised in school concerts at some point during the last academic year, but this number decreased to 9.6% of respondents who reported inclusion of improvisation in adjudicated festivals. Further analyses of responses from teachers indicating elementary, middle, and high school teaching level showed a significant three-way interaction between style, teaching level, and concert setting. Teaching level influenced which eclectic styles were used in concert, with rock and fiddle more commonly used in earlier grades, but only in non-adjudicated settings. Finally, a significant two-way interaction revealed the use of improvisation in concert was more common in the upper grades, but only in school concert settings.